A Rose Foreverafter
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day four hundred and nineteen: She'd call it a chance meeting if it didn't make her so nervous about their family secret.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 18th cycle. Now cycle 19!_

**TV Titles Cycle **- So this is Cycle 20! I wanted to do something special, so here we are! Some of you may remember a while back me asking for episode titles from tv shows. I've always found that a lot of shows have great episode titles, so this is how this cycle came to be. Each story will be inspired and titled after an episode from a different show. The influence of the episode may vary from story to story, not seeking to rely completely on it ;) You'll see...  
**Today's Show/Title:** "Castle" - _A Rose Foreverafter_

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**"A Rose Foreverafter"  
Sue & Brittany & Joe  
Extra to the Sylvesters Series **

They didn't hide from the world, not really… They did go out into Lima, the two of them, though Sue would often look like someone in a hurry… Like at any moment someone would show up out of the blue, and discover their secret. Maybe it wasn't fair, but it was the way their life worked… and it did work for them. Somehow in all the world she'd been gifted with a child who accepted this arrangement… no problem.

The summer had started, a much needed time for both of them to recharge after the previous year… They were going to head off for a proper family vacation, to make up for the previous outing or two where 'vacation' was them both going off… with the Cheerios, on competition. They were out that day to pick up a few last minute things they'd need. She knew to keep an eye on Brittany, if she didn't want the bill to get away from her… and then some.

They were going through a store, with Brittany pushing the cart, when Sue saw… him, from down a few aisles… Joe… her ex, and Brittany's father… She hadn't seen him in so many years, but there was no forgetting him. Judging from the way it was beating, evidently her heart had not forgotten either. It was the same beat, same effect, that he had and which had led to their union and conception of their daughter… daughter he didn't know he had… daughter who was presently standing next to her…

"Brittany, we'll need… sunscreen, don't want to burn up, go, go," Sue told her rapidly as she kept an eye out for Joe. Brittany didn't argue, and she headed off, basket and all. Sue straightened up, fixing her suit before picking one thing from the shelves, beginning to read the back, once she knew for certain there was no escaping him spotting her… She had to look just as surprised as he would be…

She could see him coming from out of the corner of her eye, and just as she thought maybe he would go on and not notice her… like somehow she didn't stand out in her tracksuit. She realized he'd stopped in his tracks, which drew her attention.

Their eyes met… surprise… surprise… Even if her surprise wasn't complete, having seen him from a distance, now that he stood so close, she was properly stricken, which showed up as surprise. "Joe…" she spoke.

"Sue…" he returned. There was hesitation, like they couldn't decide between a hug, a handshake, or nothing at all. After a while, they just gave up on that idea altogether, even if it didn't save from the awkward feeling.

"Well, this is really… what I expected, actually," she nodded. "How are you, Joe? Did you find everything you were looking for… elsewhere?" He stared back, and she shifted posture. "I'm sorry, I… How are you?" she restarted.

"I'm good," he nodded, though she felt somehow he was holding back, instead of telling her all of it, out of respect… of course he would… That was the Joe how she remembered him, even with how they'd gone on to break up and lose touch. "How have you… been. Still coaching, yes?" he asked, indicating her suit.

"Still coaching," she nodded. "Wouldn't have it any other way, especially with all the victories we've been gathering," she spoke, very much relying on this aspect of her life to show him that she was doing just fine.

"Good, that's good," Joe nodded. "Been seeing you on the news, the…" he mimed the 'C' of her catchphrase, and Sue obliged with a bit of chuckle.

"Yes, very proud," she nodded confidently. There was a pause then, and Sue knew very well this would have been a proper time to say 'oh, by the way, you have a teen-aged daughter I never told you about.' Joe wasn't a bad man. She'd always known that, and it was the reason she had gone to seek him out that one time, all those years ago. She hadn't found him, instead finding his father, Joseph. What she'd later come to understand was that he'd left Lima for a little while, but then eventually moved back into town.

And then Brittany… she was curious about her father; not even Sue could blame her on that. She knew that at the beginning she would be excited, but Sue couldn't help thinking of the long run. She didn't know this man, but she had expectations and hopes, and for someone like her… the drop would be that much steeper if the ground should dissolve from under her. She was plenty happy now, and Sue absolutely wanted to protect that. If this meant keeping her from Joe, then that would be her decision.

"I should go," she nodded then, knowing Brittany would soon return.

"Right. It was good to see you, I… yes," he nodded and backed on away, once again unable to decide on a mode of saying hello, or now… goodbye. Sue watched him go, part of her feeling that guilt of silence again, despite her reasons and her beliefs. But then Brittany returned, arms loaded with sunscreen bottles. Sue took them from her, to sort them out, never seeing her daughter turn back and share a smile and a wave with the father she had – secretly – been getting to know.

THE END

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**A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
****always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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